Mpox Vaccine Arrives in Congo Amidst Worsening Outbreak Across Africa

On Thursday, the initial lot of 100,000 mpox vaccine doses arrived in the Congo capital of Kinshasa, just three weeks after the declaration that mpox outbreaks across 12 African nations were a global emergency. Western partners, including the European Union and the United States, have promised supplies of about 380,000 doses of mpox vaccines toward efforts in Africa.

This donation is less than 15 percent of the estimated three million doses of mpox vaccines that are needed to contain outbreaks in Congo, which remains at the center of the global health crisis. According to the Congolese authorities, a much higher supply is called for to manage the rising number of infections.

Laurent Muschel, the Director-General of HERA, a Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, said in an interview with the media at Kinshasa airport, “Today, we will be delivering 100,000 doses of the mpox vaccine that are due to land in Kinshasa airport at 12:10. Another flight carrying another 100,000 doses will take place on Saturday at the same time. This means there are 200,000 doses coming to the Democratic Republic of Congo for the mpox crisis. Just two weeks after the Africa CDC and WHO declared a continental and international health emergency, we are taking action to provide vaccines necessary to protect the at-risk population.

The 100,000 doses are of the MVA-BN vaccine manufactured by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic and were donated by the European Union through HERA.

Recent data shows the dire situation: 22,800 mpox cases and 622 deaths across Africa. The continent has seen a 200 percent increase in infections, just within the last week; most of those cases and deaths were from Congo. The latest mpox variant, first identified in Congo, has taken a deadly turn in affecting children under age 15.

Richer countries have rapidly grabbed supplies of vaccines and treatments from stockpiles since the global outbreak of mpox in 2022, yet only a trickle of those much-needed supplies has reached Africa despite repeated appeals by the governments on the continent.

The MVA-BN vaccine has already seen widespread use in both Europe and the United States, where regulators approved it for use among adults. The European Medicines Agency is presently reviewing data to extend the use of the vaccine for 12- to 17-year-olds; its decision is expected later this month.

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Meanwhile, Nigeria, last week, received 10,000 doses of mpox vaccines from the U.S., marking the first known donation to Africa since the outbreak began. The Nigeria CDC has recorded 40 mpox cases this year.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has been circulating in Africa for many years but gained worldwide attention with the 2022 outbreak that affected more than 70 countries across the globe. According to Dr. Dimie Ogoina, chair of the WHO’s mpox emergency committee, though the past outbreak predominantly affected gay and bisexual men, the virus is these days being spread through sexual contact in Africa, including close contacts of children, pregnant women, and other susceptible populations.

The population of Africa remains highly vulnerable owing to the fact that most of these individuals are young and were never vaccinated against smallpox. On the other hand, those individuals who are over 50 years old may have partial immunity as a result of getting the smallpox vaccination.